The Album Review Club - Week #193 (page 1300) - East Side Story - Squeeze

HARLEQUIN DREAM BOY AND BEAR



As soon as I had my first listen, I knew BWBMT had introduced me to another unknown gem.
The guitar of the first two tracks had echoes of my favourites WOD.
Dave Hoskins voice reminded me of a cross between Andy Hull of MO and Van Mcann of Catfish and the Bottlemen.
I found the album very consistent, I certainly wouldn’t call it country although ‘End of the Line ‘ is a countryish song.
It’s labelled as indie folk so I get the comparison to the Mumfords especially with the banjo on some tracks.Thankfully I found no Coldplay vibes.

A very good album that I’ve played far more than the requisite 3 times and a band I’ll continue to explore more.


Thank you BWBMT

9/10
 
I'm not sure why I am enjoying this record. It's all very nice and safe and lovely and warm and...oh everything. Musically it's a big hug from an old mate. It's a pint in front of a fire in a local. It's that feeling you get when you are totally relaxed. It's not euphoria. It's doesn't make me want to shout "yes" at full voice. But it's good all the same. All parts are played and sung well. It works.

7/10

Oh...End Of The Line is country-lite.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Harlequin Dream is as far from country Coldplay as it is from Split Enz (Split Enz has wit, people — WIT). In fact, the proper comparison this record deserves is that of a sandwich — a sandwich where the bread is particularly good but the ham a smidge pedestrian and cheese somewhat indifferent, though it’s still a ham and cheese and therefore worth one’s time.
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'You white? You Ben Affleck!'

To basterdise a funny reductive but inherently untrue line from a film, 'you got a lazy steel guitar winding background sound and husky drawn out vocals, combined with an indie type writing song structure? You Country Coldplay'

You are taking the metaphor too literally mate. It is a comparison at a conceptual level, rather than a technical one.
 
Mancitydoogle said:
HARLEQUIN DREAM BOY AND BEAR



As soon as I had my first listen, I knew BWBMT had introduced me to another unknown gem.
The guitar of the first two tracks had echoes of my favourites WOD.
Dave Hoskins voice reminded me of a cross between Andy Hull of MO and Van Mcann of Catfish and the Bottlemen.
I found the album very consistent, I certainly wouldn’t call it country although ‘End of the Line ‘ is a countryish song.
It’s labelled as indie folk so I get the comparison to the Mumfords especially with the banjo on some tracks.Thankfully I found no Coldplay vibes.

A very good album that I’ve played far more than the requisite 3 times and a band I’ll continue to explore more.


Thank you BWBMT

9/10
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You are welcome, and for full disclosure, you were the one I really hoped would like this selection.

When I first heard Boy & Bear, I thought Rob might enjoy them to a degree given their Aussie background, the Crowded House cover, and accessible varying sounds on this, but when I reflected on this album over the summer, I kept thinking how much I hoped this could work for you.

When listening to an old The Waterboys track this past week from our Rock Evolution thread (well nominated, btw), the sax used in both bands even reminded me of them somewhat. And while I'm not comparing the two, directly, I have you to thank for turning me on to them properly with This Is The Sea. Consider Manchester Orchestra and Boy & Bear my thanks as well.

I just couldn't say anything when we got together for our pints yet in September. I was very tempted to swap Boy & Bear for Local Natives back in August, but I had that one already written up and had too much to prep for before our UK trip.

And you realise in a moment grace
you might just already be onto something good
 
BimboBob said:
I'm not sure why I am enjoying this record. It's all very nice and safe and lovely and warm and...oh everything. Musically it's a big hug from an old mate. It's a pint in front of a fire in a local. It's that feeling you get when you are totally relaxed. It's not euphoria. It's doesn't make me want to shout "yes" at full voice. But it's good all the same. All parts are played and sung well. It works.
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Nice, I was thinking there might be enough for you on this one too.

When I hear the sax at the end of "Harlequin Dream", it reminds me a lot of the 80's sax songs you've nominated in the threads and of course as heard much more pronounced in Gerry Rafferty, so I was hoping you'd find enough to remind you of that pint in the Masons Arms in Warkworth that we both visited.
 
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Say one thing for Harlequin Dream, it's got a hell of an onboard countermeasures system. I think the combined score of 16 from the Torpedo Club is nigh on unassailable!

Fantastic nomination from @Black&White&BlueMoon Town that finished higher in the table than he, I or I guess most people would have anticipated. Boy & Bear's calling card scored an average of 7.60 from 15 voters, narrowly missing out on a place on the top 10. Thanks to everybody who commented and voted.

This week, hoping to avoid the mauling that his team did on Sunday, it's the turn of @LGWIO
 
RobMCFC said:
Say one thing for Harlequin Dream, it's got a hell of an onboard countermeasures system. I think the combined score of 16 from the Torpedo Club is nigh on unassailable!

Fantastic nomination from @Black&White&BlueMoon Town that finished higher in the table than he, I or I guess most people would have anticipated. Boy & Bear's calling card scored an average of 7.60 from 15 voters, narrowly missing out on a place on the top 10. Thanks to everybody who commented and voted.

This week, hoping to avoid the mauling that his team did on Sunday, it's the turn of @LGWIO
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Thanks Rob and for the not so subtle dig...but maybe its the masochist in me but I feel another mauling coming on

1762954107020.png
 
Nope, going to have to head out in 10mins so a couple more clues
1762955087697.png
 
Think it may not be the sweet spot for regulars to be guessing.... in which case I shall have to put my write up before any real guessing.
This was actually what I was going to place before you last time around but the timing was very off.

De La Soul
3ft High & Rising
Was this the forerunner, or inspiration for Mike Skinner? So the question is, will it be tarred with that same brush?

We have had myriad rock albums but few from the rap/hip hop genre. So here we go, something for all us FOCs to get our teeth in to. Something to blast out whilst dropping the kids/grandkids off at school to show how cool we actually are!

This one came to me whilst living in a shared house at University. Every week there would be Sounds, NME & Melody Maker brought into the house, but the interest and listening habits of those I shared with were almost solely based around rock, goth and general "Indie"....... and then this album arrived marking the start of all of us listening to rap/hip hop.

This album perhaps being the "safe option" for 5 white working/middle class kids. Unable to appreciate the struggle on the mean streets of USA, whether that was NWA or 2 Live Crew, this was something that was fun and accessible. The previous year had brought "It Takes A Nation Of MIllions" & "Straight Outta Compton", this being more a nice mug of cocao than a pint of snakebite.

It was also clearly something that was new and became the inspiration for so many.
Playing an instrument and singing to create something is a wonderful thing, but is it any different from taking "samples" from so many and creating something new. This certainly did that. Not just the usual sources for other hip hop backing, but kids programmes or the great (but unusual)Johnny Cash along with Hall & Oates samples.

This opened up my mind to other types of music and was a toss up between this and Da Lench Mob (Guerilla's In Tha Mist) to offer you all. In the end it was down to something that was a little more accessible and fun. Something I thought would bring a smile to a few faces. It doesn't take itself too seriously. It is from 3 guys, that were the same ages as all those in the house I was in, yet there we all were nodding along, appreciating the samples and hooks.
There is the running gag of the game show, alongside some quality backing tracks. The samples masterfully worked in and songs about things that we all know, but perhaps had never thought of.

Sadly I cannot claim to have first heard this wafting out of a window as I walked the streets of New York (Woolwich instead), but it is very much a case that it brings back memories of a time and place when life was so much easier and fun.

So, I hope it gives at least one or two of you some pleasure.
 
LGWIO said:
Think it may not be the sweet spot for regulars to be guessing.... in which case I shall have to put my write up before any real guessing.
This was actually what I was going to place before you last time around but the timing was very off.

De La Soul
3ft High & Rising
Was this the forerunner, or inspiration for Mike Skinner? So the question is, will it be tarred with that same brush?

We have had myriad rock albums but few from the rap/hip hop genre. So here we go, something for all us FOCs to get our teeth in to. Something to blast out whilst dropping the kids/grandkids off at school to show how cool we actually are!

This one came to me whilst living in a shared house at University. Every week there would be Sounds, NME & Melody Maker brought into the house, but the interest and listening habits of those I shared with were almost solely based around rock, goth and general "Indie"....... and then this album arrived marking the start of all of us listening to rap/hip hop.

This album perhaps being the "safe option" for 5 white working/middle class kids. Unable to appreciate the struggle on the mean streets of USA, whether that was NWA or 2 Live Crew, this was something that was fun and accessible. The previous year had brought "It Takes A Nation Of MIllions" & "Straight Outta Compton", this being more a nice mug of cocao than a pint of snakebite.

It was also clearly something that was new and became the inspiration for so many.
Playing an instrument and singing to create something is a wonderful thing, but is it any different from taking "samples" from so many and creating something new. This certainly did that. Not just the usual sources for other hip hop backing, but kids programmes or the great (but unusual)Johnny Cash along with Hall & Oates samples.

This opened up my mind to other types of music and was a toss up between this and Da Lench Mob (Guerilla's In Tha Mist) to offer you all. In the end it was down to something that was a little more accessible and fun. Something I thought would bring a smile to a few faces. It doesn't take itself too seriously. It is from 3 guys, that were the same ages as all those in the house I was in, yet there we all were nodding along, appreciating the samples and hooks.
There is the running gag of the game show, alongside some quality backing tracks. The samples masterfully worked in and songs about things that we all know, but perhaps had never thought of.

Sadly I cannot claim to have first heard this wafting out of a window as I walked the streets of New York (Woolwich instead), but it is very much a case that it brings back memories of a time and place when life was so much easier and fun.

So, I hope it gives at least one or two of you some pleasure.
Click to expand...
This record got enormously positive reviews from the press at the time and I’ve always wanted to listen to it but just never got around to it! Looking forward to it!

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back is one of my favo(u)rite records of all time by the way — easily in my top 25 ever.
 
Bold choice to go with the genre.

Certainly beats country though so works for me.
 
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